After recently completing charters in the Caribbean, spa therapist Heather Hawthorne was shocked to learn about the mass devastation from the recent flooding in Australia, in particular the Sunshine Coast which is very close to her own home. Heather promptly arranged a charity event in aid of the QLD Flood Relief Appeal, “we’d all been watching the TV in horror, but my husband was pretty ‘choked up’ when he called me and that really prompted me to do something” Heather explained.

She continued “The yachting community is full of Aussies, Kiwis and people from all over the world. Even though I’m American, I live in Australia and I wanted to raise awareness within the yachting community and also raise money for the flood victims. With the support of a few generous sponsors, I organized a massage charity event in St. Maarten. 12 professional massage therapists from the island and from the yachts at the marina participated in the event. We offered massages for donation, with 100% of the proceeds going to QLD. Flood Relief Appeal. My goal was to raise $1000. Throughout the day we gave 56 massages and we donated over $2200”.

“It was such a pleasure to see so many nationalities come together and show their support. We made a big bright yellow donation box so even if they didn’t get a massage, they were still able to donate. Two male crew members, on their only day off, drove over an hour to participate in the event. The support from the yachting community was amazing.”

Heather thanks both the local and charter massage therapists for donating their time and effort in aid of the cause and to the local sponsors; Sandbar Restaurant, Select Charter Yachts and Charter Spa Services for their support and promotion of the event.